OVER A. MILLION

Grey River Argus, 22 July 1941, Page 4

OVER A. MILLION

SCHOOL DENTAL OPERATIONS Past Year’s Records P.A. WELLINGTON. July 21. Plans leading to further important developments in an extension of the School Dental Service are being prepared by the Health Department according to a statement by the Minister of Health, Hon. A. H. Nordmeyer. “We are in a position to take steps to increase the field service to cover the upper standards of our primary schools,” said the Minister, “and I have already directed that, wherever the circumstances permit, treatment will be continued into Standard V, this year. Remarking that reports just received by him from officers of the Dental Division marked the culmination of a period of unprecedented activity .in the work of the School Dental Service, Mr. Nordmeyer stressed the need for developing it further. While the aim of the Department was to prevent dental, as well as other diseases, it had to be recognised that a’ vast amount of dental disease already existed, and had to be treated. The education side, however, was receiving close attention, as was shown by the fact that last year the numoer of talks and other activities carried out by the Field Staff numbered more than 3,000. The results achieved by the School Dental Service were one of the most gratifying features of the Department’s activities, Mr. Nordmeyer said. Two new records had been, set by the service. The number of children receiving treatment throughout the Dominion was now more than 115,000, and. for the first time in the history of the service, the operations had exceeded 1,000,000 in a year. That was a striking tribute to the work being done in caring for the dental health of children. The scope of the work was best illustrated by saying that 1,000,000 operations per year meant approximately 5,000 for each school day. “Another highly significant fact," he said, “is that,' for every 100 fillings done, the extractions amount to only 11.6 for both first and permanent teeth. For permanent teetn alone the ratio is 0.97 extractions, or less than one tooth extracted for every 100 fillings. In the first year of the service. 114 extractions were made for every 100 fillings. The strikingly low figure now demonstrates clearly that systematic attention to the teeth of the child will result in more of the natural teeth being saved, and, in the long run, will ensure a better state of physical fitness ”

The aim of the Government was to bring the service within the reach of the entire school, and, eventually, to cater for the post primary schools as well. Mr. Nordmeyer said that, , while the Department was doing its best, to keep the children’s teeth healthy, its efforts would be largely v,lasted if the parents did not carry on the good work after the boys and girls left school. Most parents appreciated their responsibility, but he seriously appealed for co-operation of a minority who, through indifference or carlessness, let the years of treatment, go for nothing.